New Student FAQs
- What is provided to students in their Residence Hall Rooms?
- Is phone service provided?
- Where are new students (first year and transfer) housed?
- How are new students assigned to buildings?
- How are students matched as roommates?
- Can new students pick their roommates?
- Will there be triples?
- How are triples determined?
- What are the other room options?
- When will the room assignments be sent out?
- What if I don't like my roommate?
- What if a student needs a medical accommodation for housing?
- Where should students go if they have additional questions or concerns about living on campus?
What is provided to students in their Residence Hall rooms?
Each student is provided a bed (that needs extra-long twin bedding), a desk, a chair, a dresser, and a closet/wardrobe. Each room has a cable outlet, and Internet ports. Internet service and basic cable are included in the room and board. Students pay extra for enhanced channels (HBO, Showtime, etc). Students need to provide their own cable TV wires.
Is phone service provided?
There is no local phone service provided in individual rooms. There are emergency phones on every floor.
Where are new students (first year and transfers) housed?
First year students are housed in Haffey, Murphy and Ward Halls. Transfers are housed in available spaces on upper-class floors in each building. We make every effort to house transfer students together, but they may be assigned to a space with a returning student.
How are new students assigned to buildings?
First year students are assigned to one of three residence halls: Murphy, Ward or Haffey Halls. We group each learning community in specific halls to facilitate out-of-class interaction by members of the learning community. After students register for classes, we determine how many students are in each learning community, and assign students to buildings based on the number enrolled in each learning community. Depending on the number of students in each learning community, we assign from 2-4 learning communities to each hall. Students from these 2-4 learning communities are matched as roommates based on the information provided by new students on-line. So, students will live among other students from their classes, which enables students to feel more comfortable in both their learning and living environments. Upper-class students are housed in current upper-class areas as available, with our preference being placing transfer students together.
How are students matched as roommates?
Students are asked about their personal preferences on their housing application on ResLife On-Line and then are matched by mutual preferences within learning community groups. It is important that students (not parents) fill out the housing application honestly and completely. Many problems new students experience during the first few weeks in the residence halls can be avoided if the student fill out the forms accurately (e.g.- I don't listen to music, I like to go to bed early.....) The chances for making good matches are significantly increased if the information is correct.
Can new students pick their roommates?
We do not offer that option for a few reasons. We encourage students to meet as many different people as possible, and if students start out living with someone they know, they tend to limit their efforts to meet new people. Frequently students request to room together after a brief meeting (e.g., at an open house or recruiting visit) and then discover after spending more than a day or two living together they don't like each other as much as they expected. In addition, we assign students to housing based on their learning communities. After their first year, students can choose their roommates.
Will there be triples?
The success of our Learning Community program, coupled with the renovations made in the residence halls over recent years, has resulted in many more students choosing to live in our residence halls, both as first year and as upper-class students. So, at this time we are tight on living space. The good news about this situation is that many of our residence hall rooms were built to house 3 students per room. These rooms are already equipped with 3 built-in closets and we provide 3 desks, 3 dressers, and 3 beds. This may not be the case at some surrounding colleges where students each have their own bed, but need to share their desks, dressers, and closets. Students in triples will receive a rebate when they are assigned to a "rebate" triple room.
How are triples determined?
The deposit date will be a factor in who gets placed in a triple room. In addition, students need to hand in their paperwork from the registration kit to the ResLife office by the deadline on the housing forms. The earlier a student pays their deposit, the less likely they are to be assigned to a triple. This date is also a factor when opportunities to de-triple come become available. If all three students remain in the triple after the sixth week of the semester, they receive a $150 rebate (per semester) unless they decline to de-triple to an open space on the floor to which they are assigned. This will show up as a credit on the bill each semester the student is tripled. However, if students are given the option to de-triple and they decline, they will not receive the rebate. It is important to note that transfers may also be tripled on the upper-class floors.
What are the other room options?
In addition to the rebate triples, we also have standard triples and quads. These two types of rooms are much larger in size and students are assigned to them accordingly. We have a limited number of singles available to first year students. All room types are the same cost.
When will the room assignments be sent out?
Housing Assignments will be available on ResLife On-Line in early August for the Fall Semester and early January for the Spring Semester. You will go to the same place you applied for housing (ResLife On-Line) to see your roommates' names, phone numbers, addresses and when available, emails.
What if I don't like my roommate?
Every Residence Hall has peer advisors called "Resident Assistants" that are available to help students with all concerns including roommate disagreements. When students arrive in the Residence Halls they will work with their roommates and fill out a Roommate Agreement that outlines what is mutually acceptable in the room (e.g. visitors, what can be borrowed or not...).
What if a student needs a medical accommodation for housing?
If you have a disability that may require a housing accommodation, you must complete the Disability Services Request Card and be prepared to provide appropriate documentation 6 weeks before the start of classes. The card is available in your registration packet or at the Office of Academic Affairs website. The final determination for providing appropriate and reasonable accommodations rests with the College. Requests for housing accommodations are based on both availability and need.
Where should students go if they have additional questions/concerns about living on campus?
We are available from 8:30-4:30 at (585) 385-8281 or in the Campus Center, Office 206. Our email address is reslife@sjfc.edu.